novelones Chapter 6: The Old-Fashioned Cheat
Chapter 6: The Old-Fashioned Cheat
Uchiha Sasuke... Uchiha Satsuki?
No, no, no... Calm down, how could this be?
Naruto blinked hard, trying to banish the image of the cold-faced, black-haired boy from his mind. Sasuke is clearly a boy! How could that chuunibyou who always talks about "revenge" and constantly flirts with his electric powers possibly become this tsundere yet incredibly cute little girl in front of him?
It must be a coincidence... Yes, it must be a coincidence!
However, when he looked closely at Zuoyue's small face, he found that it did look somewhat familiar from certain angles.
That face...
Naruto realized something. Sasuke was already at the pinnacle of handsomeness in the original work; if he were gender-swapped as a girl…
No, no! What am I thinking?!
Sasuke has turned into a girl? What kind of bizarre Naruto worldline is this? Or is it a butterfly effect caused by his own time travel?
Countless questions exploded in his mind, but Naruto at least retained basic social etiquette. He certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to ask, "Um... you're actually a boy, right?"
Asking such an extremely rude question could be disastrous if it were interpreted as perverted.
In the end, all the chaotic thoughts turned into a dry farewell.
"I see... See you another day then."
Hearing Naruto's promise to come and play with her again, a small thrill rose in Satsuki's heart. She tried her best to keep a straight face, but the corners of her mouth still involuntarily turned up in a small smile.
"Well, if no one practices with you..."
She turned around reluctantly, saying, "I'll keep you company."
After saying that, she walked towards the Uchiha clan's territory without looking back, waving her small hand casually, pretending to be indifferent. However, just as she turned the corner and confirmed that Naruto definitely couldn't see her, Sasuke covered her mouth, her big eyes curving into crescent moons.
This is the first time... I've made friends outside my own clan.
She skipped and hopped across the dappled sunlight on the stone pavement, her steps lighter than usual.
Meanwhile, Naruto, who remained in place, found himself in unprecedented chaos.
As he watched Zuo Yue's receding figure, his mind buzzed as if a thousand shadow clones were simultaneously casting the "Multiple Shadow Clone Technique."
No, no, no, it must be a coincidence!
Despite trying to comfort herself, those damned "evidence" kept flashing through her mind. In the original work, Sasuke was always jokingly referred to as "the real female protagonist of Naruto".
From their first meeting to their eventual reconciliation, every line of dialogue between the two was incredibly ambiguous, not to mention their unexpected yet destined first kiss...
He was so shocked by the friendship shown in Konoha that he fainted.
Just when Naruto couldn't sort out his thoughts.
【Ding! 】
A crisp system notification suddenly rang in my mind.
[Congratulations, host! You have established an initial bond with the original character "Uchiha Sasuke"!]
[Reward: The system is officially launched, and you have received 500 points!]
"Bang!"
Naruto immediately collapsed to the ground. It really was him... Sasuke... He really turned into a girl?!
------
That's right, Naruto does have a system—which isn't surprising, as it's practically standard equipment for transmigrators.
This system has existed in his consciousness since he was an infant, but all along, the semi-transparent system interface has only displayed a line of cold, impersonal text.
[Waiting for the story to begin]
No matter how Naruto tried to communicate, probe, or even protest by waving his little fists in his crib, the system remained as stubborn as a rock, completely unresponsive. Eventually, Naruto could only resign himself to waiting for the so-called "plot to begin."
I originally thought I'd have to wait until Mizuki tricked me into stealing the Book of Seals...
Naruto thought to himself. According to the original timeline, that was the true starting point of his "story".
However, fate always seems to like to play tricks.
Who would have thought that this system, dormant for so many years, would be unexpectedly activated by a gender-swapped version of Sasuke, Uchiha Satsuki?!
Naruto's feelings were complicated. He mechanically took steps, his eyes fixed on the system interface that had finally lit up in front of him.
[Bond System]
[You'll earn system points by establishing connections and forming different bonds with characters from the original work!]
The deeper the influence on the original work, the more points you'll receive!
Points can be used for system draws—ninjutsu, sage techniques, dojutsu, bloodline limits…you name it!
Let's strive to build lasting bonds!
As the streetlights along the street lit up one by one, he stared at the words "eye technique" and "bloodline limit," his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.
Concise, yet direct.
Three years of curiosity and anticipation finally materialized. There was no cumbersome system shop, no complicated redemption list; the entire interface was clean and almost plain. The only option was that prominent "Lottery" button, or more accurately…
This is basically a gacha game!
【Bond System】—This name practically lays the Naruto theme bare. Following this logic, even if he simply follows the original storyline step-by-step, he can easily accumulate a large number of bond points. He can become friends with the Konoha Twelve, establish a master-disciple relationship with Jiraiya, and even get entangled with the villains from the original work.
However, the system thoughtfully provided a tip: the deeper the impact on the original work, the more points you'll receive.
This means he doesn't have to waste time trying to please the ignorant villagers, nor does he have to force himself to cater to those prejudiced eyes.
"It's still a bundled consumption..."
A finger swipes across the lottery interface's description. The entire interface is extremely simple—there's only a single, faintly glowing "Ten Draws" button, each draw costing 1000 points.
"500 points...that means half of them are already there on the first 10-pull."
"Establishing an initial bond with the gender-swapped Sasuke is worth 500 points? That's quite a lot."
Once Naruto accepted the premise that "Uchiha Sasuke is a girl," he used that teasing nickname without any hesitation. After all, Sasuke isn't going to suddenly jump out and use Chidori on him now—probably not.
Just as he was about to close the interface, a thought suddenly flashed into his mind.
Wait a minute! If the system's activation means that building bonds will grant rewards... does that mean I already have rewards to claim?!
Naruto suddenly stopped in his tracks.
The next second, he turned around without hesitation, no longer heading towards that deserted little apartment, but instead dashing towards the bustling downtown area of Konoha.